


Tomb-Stones Where Flowers Should Be

by endlcss_possibilities



Category: Devil May Cry, DmC: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, I'll fight capcom I swear, M/M, Still trying to get that sweet sweet Nero/V content out before the game potentially ruins my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 04:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17974865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlcss_possibilities/pseuds/endlcss_possibilities
Summary: Nero had become pretty accustomed to seeing weird things in his line of work.As someone who traveled the world hunting demons for a living, one would hope that he’d become accustomed to weird things.~~~“Short answer: I’m cursed and trying to find a way to break it.”





	Tomb-Stones Where Flowers Should Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lacemaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacemaze/gifts).



> AO3 why doesn't Shadow have a character tag, pls fix this is "my favorite V summon erasure" and I won't stand for it
> 
> Title from "The Garden of Love" by William Blake

Nero had become pretty accustomed to seeing weird things in his line of work.

As someone who traveled the world hunting demons for a living, one would hope that he’d become accustomed to weird things.

However, the sight in front of him was surely a new one. 

A tall man with a cane was skirting around a pack of demons, and he seemed to be controlling two of them to attack the others. Nero thought about just trying to creep away before this man saw him, because certainly he was up to no good, controlling demons like that. But he was also someone getting attacked by demons, and Nero was never one to let someone in need go unaided. So he waded in despite his better instincts, catching the dark haired man’s eye.

“You looked like you needed some help. I’m Nero!”

“I didn’t necessarily need help, but I won’t say no now that you’re already here,” The man replied.

Well, alright then…

Most people were more than glad to see him, but Nero supposed if the man thought he’d had it under control (even if it hadn’t looked that way), then who was Nero to dissuade him of that thought? 

Before long, all of the demons had been dispatched and really, Nero was shocked at how well they’d worked together despite just meeting each other. So even though he was still a bit wary of the two demons, a panther and an eagle, who were still prowling around, Nero walked right up to the man and held out his left hand, his non-prosthetic hand.

“Now that that’s over with, I guess we can properly do introductions. My name’s Nero.”

“I have no name. I am but two days old.”

Nero’s smile faltered, but after a bit of an awkward pause, the dark haired man covered Nero’s hand with his own.

“Just kidding. You can call me V.”

V’s hand was cool in Nero’s, and the demon hunter noticed an odd grey tinge and what looked like several cracks in V’s skin. Before he could comment, V had pulled away quickly, tucking his hand back under the jacket he was wearing. He was wearing an awful lot of clothing for it being so warm out, Nero noticed. Long sleeved coat, pants, he had to be hot in all of that.

“You’re not hurt at all, are you?”

“No, I am not hurt. I should be going now.” V clicked his tongue, the panther and eagle moving to follow him. Nero watched him for a couple of minutes, noting the man’s stiff, slow gait.

“What’s wrong with your hand then?” He called and V froze, then half turned.

“Nothing you need worry about. Thank you for helping me, but I do not require further assistance.”

“Aw c’mon V, maybe you should let the guy help you!” 

Had Nero’s ears deceived him or was that bird talking?

“Absolutely not.”

“But V, it’s getting harder for you to even walk, you might need-”

“I don’t  _ need _ anything, Griffon, so kindly keep your beak shut.”

“V, a demon nearly shattered your hand the other day, some extra help might be well considered.”

“What do you mean, a demon nearly shattered your hand?” Nero had drawn up behind V and reached out to grab his shoulder, but was stopped by sharp talons just barely touching his arm.

“If you touch him, I’ll shred your arm, sunshine,” The bird, Griffon’s voice was deadly serious in Nero’s ear.

“Just try it.” What the bird demon didn’t know, was that hidden under Nero’s sleeve and glove, was no regular human arm. He’d pay good money to see even a demon try to destroy it.

“Alright Griffon, settle down.”

“But V-!”

“But nothing. I’ll not have you treating a potential ally like that. If he does really want to help me, that’s no way to keep him around, you know?” V smiled apologetically at Nero, and goddamn if he didn’t have a really nice smile. “Sorry about that, they’re...just a little protective of me. I suppose if we’re going to travel together, I should explain a few things.”

“Yeah, like why you can control demons?” Nero asked pointedly.

“Like I said, a few things.”

“Where are you headed?”

“Anywhere populated that I can get to.”

“Well, I know the nearest town is a few miles thataway.” Nero gestured in the direction that he’d been going. “And I happen to be headed towards there for a job, so that works out well.”

“A job?” V asked as they started walking, the panther padding a few paces in front of them while Griffon circled around overhead to keep an eye out.

“I thought you were answering questions here,” Nero pointed out. “But yeah, I’m a demon hunter, so I travel to places and get rid of any demons that are bothering people. Most of the time, I just wander around, but sometimes people call on me specifically. This is one of those jobs.”

“People must appreciate the help.”

“They do. I mean, I don’t have the most steady income, but some of these people are so desperate and in such bad shape that I’d feel bad asking them for money. They usually feed me anyways, so that’s all I can ask for. What about you? Why are you traveling around?”

V sighed and glanced up towards the sky, watching Griffon soar above them. Nero could see more of those odd cracks creeping up his neck, the grey tinge seeming to follow them. 

“Short answer: I’m cursed and trying to find a way to break it.”

“Cursed?”

“I was cursed by a demon when I was born. Something my father did to anger it, and it took it out on his firstborn son. It was supposed to turn me to stone immediately, but my mother managed to halt it long enough for them to find a sort of cure. They found three demons that they made deals with to bind them to me to extend my lifespan. Hence…” V waved a hand, encompassing both the panther and Griffon. 

“Three?”

“I don’t bring the other one out often. He is powerful and just passively having him bound to me greatly extends my life, but actively using his power ultimately accelerates the rate at which my curse progresses.”

“You said the demon wanted to turn you to stone?”

“Yes, but this way, instead of immediately turning to stone, the curse progresses much slower. I will eventually turn fully to stone. As it is, the curse has progressed enough to make moving difficult. That’s why these two protect me. I can use their power without it affecting the progress of the curse much.”

“So you’re trying to find a cure for it then.”

“The demon did hint that there was a cure, as one would expect from a being who thinks that finding said cure is nigh impossible. So I have no doubt that it won’t be an easy task.”

“Yeah, but you can’t give up yet, V!” Griffon called from above them. “We’ll find it, just you wait!”

V smiled, but it was a small, tired one.

“I’ll help you if I can,” Nero offered. “I can’t say I’m not completely ignorant of curses myself.” He rolled up the right sleeve of his coat and took off his glove, revealing his arm.

“Whoa, I knew you reeked of demon, but I thought it was just because you fought them!” Griffon wheeled down to perch on V’s arm to take a closer look. “That arm is pure demonic energy!”

“Like you, I’ve had this since I was born.” Nero flexed glowing fingers. “As to if it’s killing me, well I have no clue, but it hasn’t yet so that’s good right?”

V’s smile was a little less tired this time, more genuinely amused.

“You’re an interesting man, Nero. I appreciate your offer to help me.”

~~~

Well, offering to help V was good and all, but Nero had no clue how to find a cure for a demon’s curse, and he did still have a job to do. 

But he figured the best place to start would be with demons themselves, which kind of killed two birds (or in this case, demons) with one stone. Nero could get rid of some demons for this town, and one of the demons might know a thing or two about curses.

Not that Nero was holding his breath about that, most of the demons he fought were dumber than a rock, but they could still try. 

And wouldn’t you know it, one of the demons plaguing the town actually  _ recognized _ V.

Well more specifically, the demon recognized the curse put on V.

“Well well, that looks like one of Urizen’s curses. How did you come to have that on you, human?” The demon purred, circling V, who was desperately trying to keep it away from him. 

“Wait, you know the demon who put that curse on him?” Nero asked, flicking his sword back up as the demon rounded on him.

“I do indeed, spawn of Sparda. Urizen is the demon king. What I want to know is how a little insignificant human could have managed to anger Urizen so much to get a curse put on himself? Unless the little human is much more than he seems? Unless the little human wasn’t the one who angered Urizen in the first place?”

“Man, do you ever quit flapping that jaw of yours?” Nero asked. “Cause I’m getting real tempted to pin it shut.”

V had been quiet this whole time, only now speaking up.

“If you know who put this curse on me, do you know how it can be lifted?”

The demon burst into laughter, which Nero felt was decidedly  _ not _ a good sign.

“I know how to lift it, but do  _ you _ want to know? I don’t think you would.”

“Oh, he doesn’t know, let’s just kill him,” Nero said impatiently. “He’s just fucking with us, don’t listen to him.”

“Do you want to take that chance, demon hunter?” The demon taunted. “For him to finally have a chance to break that curse, only to throw that chance away because you are suspicious?”

“Do you truly know how to lift this curse?” V asked softly and Nero flung his hands up in disbelief.

“Are you honestly gonna trust this demon to tell you the truth? For all you know, he could just be trying to put another curse on you! I’m telling you, he doesn’t know so let’s just kill him and be done with this!”

“Tell me then, and I’ll let you live.” V held up a hand when Nero started to retort. “Let me handle this, it’s my curse.”

“Yeah, but-”

“How do I lift it?” V asked again, cutting off Nero’s sentence. Nero fell silent with a growl, crossing his arms, resigned to watching. 

If V thought he could handle this, well then so be it.

“The demon who cursed me, you said he is called Urizen?” V asked.

“Yes, Urizen the demon king.”

“You lot have a king?” Nero asked. “Can’t believe you guys just accept that.”

“The king does not take the crown easily, half breed,” The demon growled. “They are fought constantly by others who would take it. Only the strongest can claim the crown and keep it. What did Urizen tell you about the curse?”

“Only that there  _ was _ indeed a cure for it.”

“You must find someone, anyone willing to take your place as the cursed one.”

“What?” V seemed shocked, taking a step back, and Griffon swooped down in front of him.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” The bird argued. “No one would want that dumb curse on them!”

“I know what I know, and that is a curse that Urizen uses quite often. I almost feel sorry for you, to have angered Urizen that much.”

V looked up with an angry growl and raised his hand, snapping his fingers sharply. 

Then, it seemed to Nero that all Hell broke loose.

He nearly fell over when the ground shook under their feet, and then nearly fell over in shock when a huge stone golem smashed up from the ground. The golem smashed its fist down onto the demon, pinning it in place, then unleashed a purple laser beam in its face. 

The resulting explosion knocked Nero off his feet, and it was only when the dust settled that he realized that Shadow had leapt in front of him at some point to shield him from the worst of it. 

“Shadow?” Nero coughed, waving dust away from his face. “V!” 

“We’re alright over here!” It was Griffon’s voice that caught Nero’s attention and he glanced over to see that Griffon had protected V the same way Shadow had protected Nero.

Only V didn’t look so great, leaning heavily on his cane. Nero picked himself up and jogged over to the other man, pausing when he noticed.

“Your hair…”

V’s hair had turned a silvery white, no trace left of the black it had been.

“It does that,” V said tiredly. “When I summon him. His name is Nightmare.”

“He’s the one you don’t summon much, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, and for good reason!” Griffon piped up. “V your hair isn’t changing back.”

“I figured it might not. That took more out of me than usual.” V swayed on the spot, nearly falling if Nero hadn’t caught his arm. “I might have killed that demon but I think I may have overdone it. You might need to help me get back to town.” He aimed this last part at Nero.

“You don’t even need to walk.” With that, Nero scooped V up in his arms, easily passing the man’s cane to Griffon, who took it in his talons.

“Hey!” V protested. “I can still walk, I just needed a bit of help!”

“This way you can conserve some energy though,” Nero pointed out, adjusting V in his arms. For being mostly stone by now, the man was still light enough for Nero to carry him easily because of the strength his demon blood gave him.

“You still didn’t need to..” V grumbled. He seemed oddly embarrassed and Nero noticed that he was even blushing a bit, on the parts of his face that were still skin colored and not grey and cracking.

Which, the amount of skin that was now stone colored was frankly alarming to even Nero, all of the skin he could see on V’s arms and chest was grey, creeping onto his face and hands. Nero could tell that he could really only move and bend just enough to make carrying him not awkward for the demon hunter. Summoning that last demon, Nightmare had really seemed to have taken a toll on him and sped up the procession of the curse to where Nero could actually see the grey color creeping over the still healthy skin as the minutes passed. 

“You’ll break this curse, V, I promise,” Nero said. V laughed softly, leaning his head back against Nero’s shoulder.

“I don’t think I will...that fight took the rest of my strength. Foolish, I knew, to summon Nightmare but I was just so...angry.”

“Dammit V, don’t be a defeatist. I’ll help you find another way to break it. There has to be another way other than finding someone to take your place. That just sounds too ridiculous to accomplish.”

“Curses aren’t done to be simple to break, Nero,” V said patiently, sounding for all the world like he was explaining something that was common knowledge.

“You weren’t even the one to piss the demon off though,” Nero muttered. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Again, curses usually aren’t fair,” V said. Then: “Nero could you help me sit over there?”

“Here?” Nero looked around. “We’re so close to being back in town though, don’t you want to rest?”

“The sunset looks particularly lovely, and since this will probably be the last one I get to see, I would like to enjoy it.”

“You’ll get to see more, but sure, I guess we can stop.” Nero helped V to sit down on a small outcrop of rocks, Griffon perching nearby and Shadow curling up by V’s feet. Nero sat next to V, the dark haired man turning slightly to face him.

“Nothing compares to a good sunset,” V murmured, looking slightly melancholy. “I’ve always enjoyed watching them. It makes one feel small, but in a good way.”

“I know what you mean,” Nero said softly. “I feel that way a lot.”

Right now was one of those times, as he sat and watched the sunset paint V’s dark hair gold and warm up his skin until Nero couldn’t even tell where his normal skin ended and the stone of the curse began. 

He just looked...normal.

It wasn’t fair. They’d only just met and Nero wanted to know so much more about this strange guy who had come into his life with his poetic way of speaking and his demons and his stupidly handsome face even if half of it was stone.

“Nero?” V’s quiet call of his name brought him out of his thoughts. “Will you do me a favor?”

“A favor?”

“Will you come and visit me every so often? I promise I’ll appreciate the sentiment even though I’m a statue.”

Well, shit.

“Only if I can have a favor from you.” And Nero’s voice hadn’t cracked on that sentence, no it had not.

“Hopefully it’s one I can fulfill right now. I don’t think I have much time left. I can’t move my arms or legs anymore.” 

“V!” Griffon’s voice was distressed. 

“You should not have called on Nightmare like that,” Shadow said, her tail lashing in agitation. V smiled slightly, though even that movement seemed stiff and forced.

“What is your favor, Nero?”

“Can I kiss you?” Funny how he could still tell that V was blushing, even though most of his face was stone now. 

“Pardon?”

“I’ve kind of been wanting to since we met. Guess I’m into guys who summon demons and talk like they’re one of those haughty assholes in poems.”

“Calling me a haughty asshole isn’t going to get you your kiss, you know,” V said, but his tone was teasing.

“Well shit, should I say that I like the way that every word out of your mouth is like poetry then?” Nero asked, smiling smugly when V stammered. “Wait, I actually have two favors.”

“Pushing your luck, aren’t you?”

“Always.”

“What’s the second one then?”

“Can I take that curse for you?”

The amused, slightly flustered expression on V’s face dropped immediately.

“You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack.”

“You’ll be the one frozen here then!” Griffon warned. “You won’t get extra time like V did.”

“Yeah, but it’ll break your curse, yeah? That’s what that demon said.”

“Nero, no I can’t let you do that. I won’t let you do that.”

“At least I’ll have kissing you as a last good memory.”

“Nero…” V sighed. “I can’t change your mind, can I?”

“Many have tried, none have succeeded,” Nero said, trying to sound lighthearted. “Best if you just let me do what I’ve set my mind to.”

“It had better be a good kiss then.”

“Oh don’t you worry, it will be.” Nero stood, pacing to stand in front of V. “Might want to tell your kids not to look.”

He leaned down to cup V’s face in his hands gently, not even knowing if the man could feel his touch anymore. 

“I’m glad I met you,” V murmured. “Though I do wish our time would not have to end like this.” 

“Now you can come and visit me,” Nero said. “I can be like one of those statues that people kiss for good luck.”

“I’m glad you can joke at a time like this.”

“Sometimes that’s all I’ve got.”

Nero leaned down a little more to press a gentle kiss to V’s mouth, hoping that V could indeed still feel it, wishing that this didn’t have to be the scenario that they had their first kiss in.

“I don’t mind taking your curse from you,” He murmured against V’s mouth. “I just want you to have a good life. Go find that demon who put this curse on you and kick his ass for me alright?”

He went to kiss V again and felt the other man lean up into him, felt hands clutch in the back of his jacket.

Wait…

Nero put a hand on V’s chest, pushing himself back and felt the hands in his jacket curl tighter. V was staring at him, amazement written all over his face.

His completely normal face.

V let go of Nero’s jacket and brought his hands up, flexing his fingers.

“It’s...broken? The curse is broken?” He looked up at Nero sharply, but after a moment of silence, when nothing happened to Nero, V frowned.

“You’re not turning to stone?”

“Doesn’t seem that way.” Nero held his own hands up, showing off decidedly non-grey skin.

“That demon lied…” V breathed and Nero smirked.

“I told you! I told you he was bullshitting us!”

V laughed softly and stood up, Griffon taking flight in surprise.

“V you can walk normally again! You’re not stone anymore!”

“I’m not.” V smiled and turned to Nero, reaching out to catch Nero’s arms. “I don’t know what you did, but you broke the curse. Thank you.”

This time, it was V who initiated their kiss, pulling Nero into it. He heard Griffon whoop behind him and smiled, pulling back only enough to speak, his forehead resting against Nero’s.

“Thank you.”


End file.
